Hard to imagine isn’t it? What would we do without Facebook? Hmm, let me think about that for a few milliseconds…

Oh, I know, how about talk to someone! Meet a friend for coffee. Try visiting a neighbor you’ve been meaning to meet. What about an act of kindness like taking some homemade cookies to a local fire station or maybe even plan some quality time with your family. Or even better, put down that phone, refrain from texting, tweeting or even chatting on Facebook and intentionally connect face-to-face with someone.

Impossible you say? Not according to Facebook. Wednesday, August 25 is the National Facebook Fast. Facebook is encouraging everyone to do just that—connect face-to-face.

What does this have to do with B2B communications? It’s a new idea called ‘Personal Touch.’ Okay, so the idea might not be new, but when was the last time you took the time to reach out and connect with your clients in a new and personal way?

Not sure what you can do. Be creative and have fun with it. Still not sure? Then call Canyon, we’ve got plenty of great ideas for you to reach out to your current clients and prospects you’ve been trying to reach.

So don’t forget, no Facebook on August 25, 2010—call a friend or Canyon instead…480-775-8880. We would even love to meet for lunch.

The funny part about this is that you use Facebook to invite people to this. I guess we can’t live without it after all.

As a PR coordinator, I spend a lot of time monitoring coverage for clients in online publications, social media outlets, such as blogs and Twitter, and let’s not forget print publications. I often wonder why I’m still looking in print pubs for information when I can likely find it online. With the media changing ever so quickly, this got me thinking about which outlets are most important for PR professionals’ current media relations efforts.

Online publications and social media outlets are increasingly becoming PR pros’ primary outlets for information. According to the 2010 Top Tech Publications study, 92 percent of tech PR pros say that blogs are important to their current PR efforts. Eighty-six percent list online publications as extremely important to their current media relations efforts—compared to 75 percent in 2009. So, as PR pros, why should we continue to get information from print publications—especially since most of them have an online presence?

It’s to continue BUILDING strong PR/journalist relationships!

I found a great article that explains why PR and print journalism will continue to work hand in hand despite this shift to the online world and how this relationship can help maximize return on investment as the media continues to change.

I want your opinion. Do you think the end is near for print journalism or do you think it’s here to stay?

Before you name your business and choose your domain name, you might want to consider the following tips:

1. Unique

Check out your competitors’ websites to make sure that your domain name stands out. If you are having a hard time coming up with a memorable name, use generators such as NameStation, NameBoy or DomainSamurai to get started.

2. Make it short

Domain names can be up to 67 characters, but it is recommended to stick to 10 characters or less. The shorter your domain name is, the easier it will be for your visitors to remember.

3. Easy to spell/pronounce

When someone hears your domain name for the first time, they should be able to understand what your website is all about. Avoid complicated abbreviations, stay away from using slang, hyphens and numeral substitutions.

4. Use .com

Select a .com name, if possible, because it signifies a top-level domain address. And, .com is by far the most widely accepted extension for a domain name.

5. Copyright

Do not purchase domain names that could possibly be infringing on an existing copyright. When in doubt, visit the U.S. Copyright Office to find out more.

While reading Made To Stick by Chip and Dan Heath, I found reinforced insight in their section on “Appealing to Self-Interest” (Chapter five) and their take on “WIIFY” (what’s in it for you). They stated that WIIFY should be a central aspect of every speech—and I agree!

Inspired by the Heath brothers, here are three ways to add more WIIFY to your B2B marketing strategy:

1. Spell it out for your customers or prospects. Succinctly, connect the feature you describe to how it will benefit them. Why go through four bullets before you say what’s really in it for them? It should be first.
2. Remember that “you” is the most engaging word in the English language.  Consider a project you’re currently working on. Is it “you” focused? Can you work in some more “yous?” Try it. It’s always about your customers and prospects, not you. As the Heaths say, even subtle tweaks can make a difference.
3. Lastly, let your customers and prospects imagine what it’d be like to use your product or service. Here you can use “you” again, but add some more punch to how they’ll benefit by letting them imagine how they’ll feel during or after using your product/service. Will they feel less stressed? Will they save money? Let them picture themselves using it and they will.

Want more? Read Made to Stick. You might also like Chip and Dan Heath’s newest book titled Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard.

How many times did I say “you” in this blog post?